In Croatia - where are the Brits?

[RichardS]

You can anchor at Split - near the beach just outside the bathing area. Exposed for overnight but fine on a settled day.
Actually, we would rate Rab (where we are as I type) above Trogir - and there is a good anchorage nearby.

We'll be passing northwards in a few weeks so will make a note and will try and visit Rab.

Richard

Well here we are in the anchorage just north of Rab. I can see the lit up walls from here. We only arrived this evening so haven't visited the town yet - we will spend tomorrow there - but first impressions from the boat as we passed are that it looks stunning. Very reminiscent of Korcula or Dubrovnik with the high city walls, two towns which we love.

This anchorage is superb and a million times nicer that the Trogir anchorage. A lovely inlet surrounded by trees and a great muddy bottom and the sea is so warm that it reminds me of the Caribbean. When we arrived as the sun was going down I spent well over an hour in the water and scrubbed both Coppercoated hulls until they came up like shiny new Coppercoat. I could have spent all night in there an never felt cold for a moment. I would guess 26 degrees and the warmest sea on our cruise this year.

Having had a BBQ on boad we are current sitting in the cockpit in the dark with a drink listening to Kind of Blue playing gently over the CD player. If this is not heaven then I don't know what is.

My only concern about this year's cruise is that the weather is so stifilingly hot every day. Burning sun and 32 - 35 every day only dropping to 28 - 29 at night. In 8 years of coming to Croatia 2 or 3 times a year I've never seen it so unremittingly hot every single day and night. Also not much wind of course but that is as you might expect from a huge high pressure system which is just sitting there! Last year we were plagued by thunderstorms every other day but this year we would love to see one.

Tomorrow we explore Rab town so many thanks to Homer and Mark for the recommendation.

Richard

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

My only concern about this year's cruise is that the weather is so stifilingly hot every day. Burning sun and 32 - 35 every day only dropping to 28 - 29 at night.

Richard we spent 4 seasons boating in Croatia and we found that July was often the hottest month of the year. In fact one year, we experienced a week in July of temps in the high 30s which made it difficult to do anything other than sit in the shade and drink cold beer! We tended to find that by August the edge had come off the heat a bit especially if a Bora blew through for a few days. Yes last year was poor everywhere in the Med

 

[BrianH]

Normally it is August when the temperatures become uncomfortable but with this year's heatwaves July has been just as much so. I haven't crossed to Croatia so far this year but have just jogged around the northern Italian side of the Adriatic where cabin temperatures around 38°C in the early evening with high humidity and no wind have made life difficult.

When the weather predictions gave even higher temperatures in excess of 40°C for this week I closed up and drove home to Switzerland at the weekend. It is also hot here (34°C today) but the house is well insulated and always cool. Such bliss to be able to sleep at night and not to just lie sweating profusely, not even able to remove the mosquito screens and ventilate better for fear of getting eaten alive.

I plan to be back and clearing into Croatia in September but not until the current series of heatwaves have subsided.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The joy of airconditioning and a generator to drive it

 

[BrianH]

The joy of airconditioning and a generator to drive it

Hmm, perhaps so Mike but you live on a different planet to me. But I have to agree, the KISS principle does have its negative aspects sometimes.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Hmm, perhaps so Mike but you live on a different planet to me. But I have to agree, the KISS principle does have its negative aspects sometimes.

And its positive aspects too. The aircon plant on my boat failed last year on the hottest day of the season nearly causing a fire in my engine bay

Sometimes KISS is definitely the better way

 

[sailaboutvic]

And its positive aspects too. The aircon plant on my boat failed last year on the hottest day of the season nearly causing a fire in my engine bay

Sometimes KISS is definitely the better way

Air con plant ?? We have to make do with an old blanked we hang down the fro hatch , how the other half live

 

[Forty_Two]

And its positive aspects too. The aircon plant on my boat failed last year on the hottest day of the season nearly causing a fire in my engine bay

Sometimes KISS is definitely the better way

What failed Mike?

Paul

 

[RichardS]

Normally it is August when the temperatures become uncomfortable but with this year's heatwaves July has been just as much so. I haven't crossed to Croatia so far this year but have just jogged around the northern Italian side of the Adriatic where cabin temperatures around 38°C in the early evening with high humidity and no wind have made life difficult.

When the weather predictions gave even higher temperatures in excess of 40°C for this week I closed up and drove home to Switzerland at the weekend. It is also hot here (34°C today) but the house is well insulated and always cool. Such bliss to be able to sleep at night and not to just lie sweating profusely, not even able to remove the mosquito screens and ventilate better for fear of getting eaten alive.

I plan to be back and clearing into Croatia in September but not until the current series of heatwaves have subsided.

This afternoon we were also talking about going home to the UK early as this heat in Croatia is just oppressive when you have no A/C. Sure you can go for a swim and the water is like the Caribbean but eventually you have to come out and after 10 minutes the sweat starts to pour off you.

I checked the outside temperature today at about 5:00pm and it was 30C but very humid. Inside the boat it is a good 3 or 4 degrees hotter than that. I waited a couple of hours as the sun was sinking in the sky and checked again and it had risen to 31C! I checked again a few minutes after the sun had gone down over the mountains and it was now 32C. This is insane to my way of thinking.

It's now 10:30 in the evening and its dropped to 31C and virtually no breeze.

The family are in revolt and a lovely cold UK, and the drive back in an air-conditioned car, are beginning to look very attractive.

We're going to head out west and south a tomorrow as we start our journey home from Rab and we're all hoping that we hit some nice cool rain ...... but the forecast says more burning sun for the rest of our cruise!

By the way, Rab is indeed lovely and this anchorage is superb. Rab reminds me of Korcula / Dubrovnik more than Trogir because of the steep lanes and steps up and down. It is a Croatian "must see" as the cruise company who liner I could see anchored about half a mile away would testify. It set sail as darkness fell so we can stop talking about how an air conditioned cabin on it would solve all our problems.

Richard

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

What failed Mike?

Luckily we were on the boat at the time. There was a loud bang from the engine bay followed by the aircon stopping and then shortly afterwards the smoke alarm went off. The engineers replaced this failed component in the Condaria aircon plant

 

[sailaboutvic]

Any consulation guys it bloody hotter in Turkey , I started to wonder if as we all get younger we felling the weather more , hot and cold weather .

 

[BrianH]

I checked the outside temperature today at about 5:00pm and it was 30C but very humid. Inside the boat it is a good 3 or 4 degrees hotter than that. I waited a couple of hours as the sun was sinking in the sky and checked again and it had risen to 31C! I checked again a few minutes after the sun had gone down over the mountains and it was now 32C. This is insane to my way of thinking.

It's now 10:30 in the evening and its dropped to 31C and virtually no breeze.

I'm surprised that you find 31°C so uncomfortable, but humidity plays a major role in determining discomfort levels. Having lived in Singapore, about on the equator, with high humidity, air conditioning everywhere is essential for any sort of activity, particularly work.

The past month in NE Italy has been very uncomfortable with temperatures in the upper 30s - indeed, I always say I can accept up to 35°C, anything more and I just flake out. The answer is to get away from the inner lagoons where I berth and anchor, where sea breezes lose much of their effect, and get out to sea where an instant drop of 5° can be expected - provided there is any sort of wind. Trouble is, the high pressure areas that bring such heatwaves also bring little wind.

This year I left for home before my cabin temperature exceeded last year's end of July record of 39.8°C - once was enough.

The family are in revolt and a lovely cold UK, and the drive back in an air-conditioned car, are beginning to look very attractive.

It does put things into perspective, doesn't it? Cold can be countered by wearing more clothes, ambient heat is largely inescapable and enervating, only with air conditioning and that is not everywhere available with its power requirements ... a sailing boat at anchor is a case in point.

By the way, Rab is indeed lovely and this anchorage is superb. Rab reminds me of Korcula / Dubrovnik more than Trogir because of the steep lanes and steps up and down. It is a Croatian "must see".

It is some years since I was in Rab. The last time I too was at anchor but retreated into the town marina at the start of a bora. Rab is just that little bit too close to 'Bora Allee', the Velabit Kanal, for my taste, but this year at this time, with the static highs, unlikely to be a problem.

Brian.

 

[RichardS]

I'm surprised that you find 31°C so uncomfortable, but humidity plays a major role in determining discomfort levels. Having lived in Singapore, about on the equator, with high humidity, air conditioning everywhere is essential for any sort of activity, particularly work.

The past month in NE Italy has been very uncomfortable with temperatures in the upper 30s - indeed, I always say I can accept up to 35°C, anything more and I just flake out. The answer is to get away from the inner lagoons where I berth and anchor, where sea breezes lose much of their effect, and get out to sea where an instant drop of 5° can be expected - provided there is any sort of wind. Trouble is, the high pressure areas that bring such heatwaves also bring little wind.

This year I left for home before my cabin temperature exceeded last year's end of July record of 39.8°C - once was enough.


It does put things into perspective, doesn't it? Cold can be countered by wearing more clothes, ambient heat is largely inescapable and enervating, only with air conditioning and that is not everywhere available with its power requirements ... a sailing boat at anchor is a case in point.



It is some years since I was in Rab. The last time I too was at anchor but retreated into the town marina at the start of a bora. Rab is just that little bit too close to 'Bora Allee', the Velabit Kanal, for my taste, but this year at this time, with the static highs, unlikely to be a problem.

Brian.

All very true Brian. We lived in West Africa just above the equator for several years but, on a boat, there in no escape.

The forecast last night was for 35k bora winds in the Velabit Canal so we were praying for the cool breeze to hit us. But nothing happened! Just another stultifying night with no breeze, and that's with Caribbean style Breeze Boosters on every hatch. This is the first Med cruise in 8 years that we have ever used them.

Richard

 

[Forty_Two]

Luckily we were on the boat at the time. There was a loud bang from the engine bay followed by the aircon stopping and then shortly afterwards the smoke alarm went off. The engineers replaced this failed component in the Condaria aircon plant

View attachment 52694

Thanks, nasty, looks like the start or run capacitor. As you say lucky you were on board.

 

[Metabarca]

The forecast last night was for 35k bora winds in the Velabit Canal so we were praying for the cool breeze to hit us. But nothing happened! Just another stultifying night with no breeze,.

Richard

yup, the forecast thunderstorms failed to materialise. 34* and a gentle breeze here outside Trieste. No break in the heat forecast until Sunday.